Tolerance is difficult to achieve, as it requires self-control, acceptance of opposition and rationalizing the events and opposition with an unbiased approach. Therefore, there have been many cases of intolerance around the globe at individual levels and state levels. There have been events where an offense and opposition has caused decades of war and unjust treatment of people. The black history of slavery and injustices are just a single example of the racial intolerance. The injustices due to racial intolerance have caused heart-trenching discriminations on the populations of people around the globe. However, the paper will focus on the racial intolerance in the history of the United States encompassing the black history in America driving on the two documents, the Crucible and the speech by Martin Luther King on Vietnam War. Both the documents, the speech “Beyond Vietnam” and The Crucible present a racial intolerance and different strategies it is manifested such as the in the form of war and removing attention from the issues inside the state and through blames. However, racial intolerance is not new; it is embedded in the US politics and society.
Racial intolerance in the United States is a dominant phenomenon and the speech “Beyond Vietnam” by Martin Luther King highlights the US racial intolerance towards the poor and Vietnamese. In his speech, King focuses on the intolerance of US towards the communist ideologies and the Vietnamese. The speech criticizes American Government for condemnation of the Vietnamese especially the poor Vietnamese supporting a cause that is costing billions of money, thousands of lives and huge arms. King criticizes that fighting for justice in other people’s land when thousands of blacks are suffering in the United States is hypocrisy. It highlights that the deaths of thousands of Vietnamese civilians including old, women and children, and demanding to end the war. The speech focuses on the intolerance of US towards poor people and distinct ideologies and the black people. The speech draws the attention of the people towards the racial segregation in America instead of trying to solve the problems of the world especially when the help is not needed. It criticizes the military assistance, lack of transparency and the bombing in Vietnam, which are related to the racial intolerance. The intolerance of dissent and new ideologies that are not in opposition to the American views. It criticizes the willingness of the US to be involved in solving the problems of the world when the people of the US are suffering injustices. Although the references to racial intolerance in the speech are subtle and the emphasis on the Vietnam War is focused, it suggests the discrimination and intolerance of the US policies towards poor in the US and outside of US are clearly emphasized.
Similarly, the Crucible by the Auther Miller presents the racial intolerance as Abigail blames the Tituba, a slave girl, to be a witch. The story shows the blame games that people begin if confronted by the authorities for their wrongdoings. The play presents such a blame game where the women start blaming Tituba first and each other’s later to get free of punishment. The play begins when the Revered Parris, father of Betty, finds Betty and Abigail dancing with the Tituba. To be absolved from the blames of staining the reputation of her uncle Abigail lies about the witchcraft. She blames Tituba and others for communing with the devil. The blame game ends when John is hanged for the crime he never commits. It discusses the issue of the races and making someone scapegoat to save oneself. The novel implies that many of the slaves and the black people are blamed for the crimes that they not commit and they are blamed and convicted for them. It also stresses the racial intolerance in the society. The discriminatory laws, the blames for being communist and for different ideologies are presented in the Crucible.
Both of the documents present the ideological intolerance that is embedded in the US’s history. Both the documents show intolerance towards the communist ideology through the allegory of witchcraft to symbolize the questioning of the people for their political affiliations. However, the political intolerance is not only restricted to the people with the communist political views. It is extended to the minorities and the black people. The black people especially have suffered due to slavery, discriminatory laws that proved lack of tolerance towards certain groups and the social discrimination. The intolerance persists in today’s society but it is more on social levels now. The blacks suffered physical barriers as they were considered lesser human beings due to their skin color. They suffered Jim Crow laws due to which they were not allowed to be mixed with the white people. Later discriminatory laws were enacted to focus and put the blame on blacks for the evils in the society. Several laws such as Slave laws (legalized slavery), Racial restrictions in the seventeenth century (to restrict free and other slaves), slave labors, the Jim Crow Laws, Antidrug wars and the war on crime. The earlier laws specified and discriminated against the people of color openly and dehumanized them. The laws justified slavery, taking benefits from the slaves without payments and giving the whites rights over the lives of their slaves. The laws improved with time and the blacks were considered secondary citizens with voting rights. Then in the twentieth century, there were other laws such as Jim Crow and New Deal segregating and ripping the black off job opportunities. However, with civil rights movement, the blatant discrimination subsided and the new laws such as the war on drugs and war on crimes were introduced. Although these laws seem to be just, the black and other minority groups suffered because of them. As the drugs and crimes were labeled punitive, job opportunities were not equally introduced due to which the people of color were affected. The blacks were arrested in mass and prisons were built to accommodate the disproportional black prisoners. The seemingly just and fair laws targeted the certain minority groups. Moreover, the courts become stricter to respond to the black crimes and showed leniency for the similar white crimes. Hence, the current discrimination in jobs and health care is another form of racial intolerance embedded in the US society. Additionally, the attention is diverting from the black population to the Muslims after the 9/11 and the US society and government have become intolerant towards certain groups throughout the history.
To conclude, racial intolerance is embedded in the society of US and the government has perpetrated and ignited the issues even further. Regardless of the ideological differences, ethnic, religious and cultural differences, the US seems to be intolerant to certain groups at various times. The lack of tolerance has become part of the US politics since the beginning in form of anti-black laws to new anti-Muslim laws. The US government seems to lack the tolerance to the opposing ideologies is it communist, liberal or religious. The US responses to the differing ideologies with violence and suppression, using its military or economic powers to influence the world. However, the lack of tolerance is bad for the reputation of the US and it is unacceptable to the globalized world as it threatens sovereignty, free speech, human rights and inflicting violence on the population within the country and outside of the country as pointed in the “Beyond Vietnam” and the Crucibles.
